The one thing about buying vintage is that you don't know how much time is left on it before it needs repair. With Marantz gear you can find people to repair it. With other companies, repairs are a question mark.

"Being in space was great, I had plenty of time to rub one out, which in space is great, but after a while it's like living in a snow globe" -Peter Griffin
"You could whore yourself out to 1,000 fat chicks for $50 apiece. Or 50 really fat chicks for $1,000. What? Don't look at me like that. Fat chicks need love too. But, they got to pay." -Glenn Quagmire

The one thing about buying vintage is that you don't know how much time is left on it before it needs repair. With Marantz gear you can find people to repair it. With other companies, repairs are a question mark.

You almost have to buy 'knowing' that you will be doing repairs on older gear.

I slowly replace the audio path caps on all my stuff. Sounds better than new (literally) after installing some new solen or sonicaps. Power cans should just be done for safety depending on the age and condition of the originals.

Just re-capped my Klipsch KG4's crossovers with Sonicaps in the past week (as I stated in an earlier post) Unbelievable difference!

The one thing about buying vintage is that you don't know how much time is left on it before it needs repair. With Marantz gear you can find people to repair it. With other companies, repairs are a question mark.

It's something I want to look into doing on my own anyway, as a wannabe electrical hobbyist. I built ham radio receivers back in the day. Even re-soldered a Uniden Bearcat back in the day to pick up cell phone signals

Anyone every play around with Dynaco amps? Specically the ST-70?
I've been interested to hear EL34 tubes in something other than an guitar amp.
You can pickup one of these new reproduction kits for about 700 or for around 1000 assembled.
Dying to hear one....

For a $1000 or less, I'd rather pick "another" conrad-johnson MV-55 or CAV-50 for an EL-34 fix. I'd be hard pressed to give up mine:

I'm looking in to buying a tape deck. I've got a some tapes lying around & the roadster has a tape deck. I don't need to tempt anyone in to stealing a CD player out of it at the cost of the soft top. I'm also intrigued by the sound of analog. :-) Does anybody still have a tape deck in use?

"Being in space was great, I had plenty of time to rub one out, which in space is great, but after a while it's like living in a snow globe" -Peter Griffin
"You could whore yourself out to 1,000 fat chicks for $50 apiece. Or 50 really fat chicks for $1,000. What? Don't look at me like that. Fat chicks need love too. But, they got to pay." -Glenn Quagmire

Found a RX 202 (little less buttons) on CL for $100, a bit much even still for dead-for-20-years tech
but the nostalgia is to great on this thing, I would love to have one on my rack, I actually have enough taps to justify it.

This is still a cool feature even today.

Last edited by CaptainQualude; 11-03-2010 at 01:51 AM.

"Being in space was great, I had plenty of time to rub one out, which in space is great, but after a while it's like living in a snow globe" -Peter Griffin
"You could whore yourself out to 1,000 fat chicks for $50 apiece. Or 50 really fat chicks for $1,000. What? Don't look at me like that. Fat chicks need love too. But, they got to pay." -Glenn Quagmire

I have a sony single tape deck collecting dust if you are still looking. It is in very good shape. It's not an ES, but a midrange line model from the 80's I believe. I'll get you the exact model number if you are interested?

I have a sony single tape deck collecting dust if you are still looking. It is in very good shape. It's not an ES, but a midrange line model from the 80's I believe. I'll get you the exact model number if you are interested?

Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. It wouldn't fit in with the group of vintage equipment I have now.

"Being in space was great, I had plenty of time to rub one out, which in space is great, but after a while it's like living in a snow globe" -Peter Griffin
"You could whore yourself out to 1,000 fat chicks for $50 apiece. Or 50 really fat chicks for $1,000. What? Don't look at me like that. Fat chicks need love too. But, they got to pay." -Glenn Quagmire

I just bought a Nakamichi tonight. I'll post pictures when it gets here.

"Being in space was great, I had plenty of time to rub one out, which in space is great, but after a while it's like living in a snow globe" -Peter Griffin
"You could whore yourself out to 1,000 fat chicks for $50 apiece. Or 50 really fat chicks for $1,000. What? Don't look at me like that. Fat chicks need love too. But, they got to pay." -Glenn Quagmire

Yes. I screwed up & lost out on a DR-3, but found a Cassette Deck 2 to replace it.

"Being in space was great, I had plenty of time to rub one out, which in space is great, but after a while it's like living in a snow globe" -Peter Griffin
"You could whore yourself out to 1,000 fat chicks for $50 apiece. Or 50 really fat chicks for $1,000. What? Don't look at me like that. Fat chicks need love too. But, they got to pay." -Glenn Quagmire

I went over the feature set of a lot of Nak decks & realized many of them don't have a way to automatically find the beginning or end of a song. That was an eye opener. I took that feature for granted. My last deck was a 3 head Akai that had that feature & more.

"Being in space was great, I had plenty of time to rub one out, which in space is great, but after a while it's like living in a snow globe" -Peter Griffin
"You could whore yourself out to 1,000 fat chicks for $50 apiece. Or 50 really fat chicks for $1,000. What? Don't look at me like that. Fat chicks need love too. But, they got to pay." -Glenn Quagmire

I'm constantly lurking through CL for one. DR3's are really nice too. I see them from time to time.

Bought a DR-1 tonight. I think I've got cassette decks covered now.

"Being in space was great, I had plenty of time to rub one out, which in space is great, but after a while it's like living in a snow globe" -Peter Griffin
"You could whore yourself out to 1,000 fat chicks for $50 apiece. Or 50 really fat chicks for $1,000. What? Don't look at me like that. Fat chicks need love too. But, they got to pay." -Glenn Quagmire

This showed up today. It's going out in to the garage. I'll keep the other Nak that's on the way inside to record on.

"Being in space was great, I had plenty of time to rub one out, which in space is great, but after a while it's like living in a snow globe" -Peter Griffin
"You could whore yourself out to 1,000 fat chicks for $50 apiece. Or 50 really fat chicks for $1,000. What? Don't look at me like that. Fat chicks need love too. But, they got to pay." -Glenn Quagmire

I went over the feature set of a lot of Nak decks & realized many of them don't have a way to automatically find the beginning or end of a song. That was an eye opener. I took that feature for granted. My last deck was a 3 head Akai that had that feature & more.

The one thing about buying vintage is that you don't know how much time is left on it before it needs repair. With Marantz gear you can find people to repair it. With other companies, repairs are a question mark.

the only real repair ive had to do to most of my gear is a take contact cleaner to the knobs.

That Akai deck was manufactured in 1982-1983 & had it. Naks from that time don't have it. The technology existed. Why they didn't use it is the real question.

Originally Posted by vanaman

the only real repair ive had to do to most of my gear is a take contact cleaner to the knobs.

The old sansui equipment is horrible about the pots getting corroded.

steve

I've had to replace the velum behind the face lighting of the Martanz 2235B because of yellowing, & the stereo indicator bulb is out. The NAD Monitor 7100 has or had a scratchy volume knob. All of this stuff is minor considering the age of the equipment.

"Being in space was great, I had plenty of time to rub one out, which in space is great, but after a while it's like living in a snow globe" -Peter Griffin
"You could whore yourself out to 1,000 fat chicks for $50 apiece. Or 50 really fat chicks for $1,000. What? Don't look at me like that. Fat chicks need love too. But, they got to pay." -Glenn Quagmire

"Being in space was great, I had plenty of time to rub one out, which in space is great, but after a while it's like living in a snow globe" -Peter Griffin
"You could whore yourself out to 1,000 fat chicks for $50 apiece. Or 50 really fat chicks for $1,000. What? Don't look at me like that. Fat chicks need love too. But, they got to pay." -Glenn Quagmire

Thanks, but when Nak went this direction they lost me forreal. They should have Left this to B&O and Bose
as opposed to giving in to housewives.

They had a brief renaissance when they produced some really good AV receivers & DVD players, but that was back in the 5.1 days. The day the Dragon was king has long since passed.

"Being in space was great, I had plenty of time to rub one out, which in space is great, but after a while it's like living in a snow globe" -Peter Griffin
"You could whore yourself out to 1,000 fat chicks for $50 apiece. Or 50 really fat chicks for $1,000. What? Don't look at me like that. Fat chicks need love too. But, they got to pay." -Glenn Quagmire

Vintage gear is all I have

You almost have to buy 'knowing' that you will be doing repairs on older gear.

I slowly replace the audio path caps on all my stuff. Sounds better than new (literally) after installing some new solen or sonicaps. Power cans should just be done for safety depending on the age and condition of the originals.

Just re-capped my Klipsch KG4's crossovers with Sonicaps in the past week (as I stated in an earlier post) Unbelievable difference!

I've got nothing but vintage gear and I do much of the same as VR6Bomber. I once built a system with digital processor and multiple amplifiers which was cool for multi-channel movies, but it just didn't sound as nice as the vintage equipment I've used. I ended up selling the gear on eBay.

Tweeking and repairing seems to be part of the motivation behind high end audio equipment. It's definitely NOT what you'd find at the local Best Buy. They would not understand the obsession. Most consumers can't tell the difference and don't care unless it has a remote.

This is some of the stuff I've worked on recently

My most recent mod was to create a 2nd order crossover of a Magneplanar SMG using Obbigatto Caps and Janzen Coils.
I especially enjoy vinyl which is very old school but going through a renaissance of sorts.
I often browse estate sales, Thrift stores, and salvage yards for some of my best acquisitions. Sometimes I find good stuff on eBay.

This was my most recent discovery--a Rotel Rb-901 for $2. A $4 binding post from a local electronics store and this thing worked like new.

I traded a Marantz two channel receiver at a garage sale for this. All it needed was light bulbs.

I recently refurbished this and sold it on eBay. Vintage stuff does reap a profit on the used market.

I'm looking in to buying a tape deck. I've got a some tapes lying around & the roadster has a tape deck. I don't need to tempt anyone in to stealing a CD player out of it at the cost of the soft top. I'm also intrigued by the sound of analog. :-) Does anybody still have a tape deck in use?

I'm still playing an Akai 1710 Reel to Reel. I'd love to find an old Nakamichi Dragon

I'm still playing an Akai 1710 Reel to Reel. I'd love to find an old Nakamichi Dragon

They can be found for sale, but are expensive even without maintenance documentation.

I picked up a Cassette Deck Two & am waiting on a DR-1 to arrive. One for the garage system & one for recording on.

Originally Posted by lnoriel

This was my most recent discovery--a Rotel Rb-901 for $2. A $4 binding post from a local electronics store and this thing worked like new.

That Rotel amp looks like a good find. They always made good stuff, but seem to need a speaker that has a laid back sound.

Originally Posted by lnoriel

I traded a Marantz two channel receiver at a garage sale for this. All it needed was light bulbs.

Hopefully the Marantz receiver you traded was a Phillips series.

"Being in space was great, I had plenty of time to rub one out, which in space is great, but after a while it's like living in a snow globe" -Peter Griffin
"You could whore yourself out to 1,000 fat chicks for $50 apiece. Or 50 really fat chicks for $1,000. What? Don't look at me like that. Fat chicks need love too. But, they got to pay." -Glenn Quagmire

More Vintage Gear

You are so right about the Rotel. When I first auditioned it, I thought it was very "Literal" or "clinical". I can understand why Rotels are sought after for multi-channel home theater amplifiers. This would make a good center channel amp where definition and clarity are necessary.

This is more of my stuff that I'm currently fiddling with. These are one of my all time favorite speakers and it's on virtually every best 100 all time favorite listings. I first heard these back in 1982 and wanted a pair. The creator tried to emulate the brilliant sound of the Quad ESL57 and created the Dahlquist DQ-10s

This one recently went away. Enjoyed it while I had it.

But it does not compare to my favorite PreAmp

Vinyl playback has always been an obsession for me. I sold these when I worked in a Stereo store back in the 80s. I was intrigued at the attempt at Linear tracking and ended up restoring one of these two years ago. This is now in my office system.

You are so right about the Rotel. When I first auditioned it, I thought it was very "Literal" or "clinical". I can understand why Rotels are sought after for multi-channel home theater amplifiers. This would make a good center channel amp where definition and clarity are necessary.

Even with very good speakers they can be matched wrong. The amp can really get in your face & sound very bright if not properly matched. Some people like that. For me it results in listening fatigue. I have a Rotel amp, preamp, & CD player combo that sounds wrong with some speakers. That extreme detail makes it hard to listen to for extended periods. It does produce the wow factor for people who have never heard good 2 channel equipment.

The same speakers that sound so bright on the Rotel sound correct on NAD equipment. The proper speakers for the Rotel might sound too dark on NAD. When I first heard the Rotel it was matched with small JM Labs towers. It sounded correct with that combo.

I agree with your thoughts on the Rotel for a center channel amp. Their home theater equipment is very under-rated.

Originally Posted by lnoriel

But it does not compare to my favorite PreAmp

What is that?

Originally Posted by lnoriel

Vinyl playback has always been an obsession for me. I sold these when I worked in a Stereo store back in the 80s. I was intrigued at the attempt at Linear tracking and ended up restoring one of these two years ago. This is now in my office system.

I wasn't aware that Technics made one. I do know about the Sharp, but then again it wouldn't surprise me if many other companies made a linear TT. I haven't owned a TT for a long time.

"Being in space was great, I had plenty of time to rub one out, which in space is great, but after a while it's like living in a snow globe" -Peter Griffin
"You could whore yourself out to 1,000 fat chicks for $50 apiece. Or 50 really fat chicks for $1,000. What? Don't look at me like that. Fat chicks need love too. But, they got to pay." -Glenn Quagmire

The DR-1 showed up today. I haven't had the time to unpack it yet. I'll have pictures up whenever I unbox it.

"Being in space was great, I had plenty of time to rub one out, which in space is great, but after a while it's like living in a snow globe" -Peter Griffin
"You could whore yourself out to 1,000 fat chicks for $50 apiece. Or 50 really fat chicks for $1,000. What? Don't look at me like that. Fat chicks need love too. But, they got to pay." -Glenn Quagmire

just stumbled onto this thread out of boredom. My buddy is big into Martin Speakers, all vintage, and I have a Girard turntable. i've been wanting a cool tube amp to display but just haven't put the effort into finding one (funds are short for something like that too)

just stumbled onto this thread out of boredom. My buddy is big into Martin Speakers, all vintage, and I have a Girard turntable. i've been wanting a cool tube amp to display but just haven't put the effort into finding one (funds are short for something like that too)

You are right about that. Even non-functional tubed equipment makes for excellent display items.
From my experience, refurbishing the analog tube gear seems to be the most expensive part of the hobby. But it also has the highest resale value on the used market for vintage gear.